Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-02-05

another department., moro suggestive OF ia
financial functions from the occasional ex.
t%ravagances or economies exhibited in its nay.
rolls-successive ccngrssses having taken other
matters out of its ~imnds-pr~siiel over by an
official who lore the title aud responsibility
Of the custodian and disburaer of the nations
purse, and received . salary that O banl:
president would have shifted ut For Il was
part Of this constitutional inconsistency and
administrative absnrdity that in thu matter
Of honor, Justice, fidelity to trust and. even
business integrity, the official wan always ex-
pected to 10 the superior Of the government
he represented. Yet the crowning inicousist-
ency was that, from time to time, II was sub.
mitted to the sovereign people to declare IL
these various Inconsistencies were not really
the perfect expression of the most perfect
government the world had known. And It
is to lie recorded that the unanimous voices of
representative, orator and unfettered poetry
we're that It wasl
Even the public press lent itself to tia great
inconsistency. It wa as clear az crystal to
the journal. on one side of the avenue that the
country was going to the dogs unless the
spirit Of the fathers once moro terminated
The public; 1t was equally clear to the journal
III the other side Of tho avenue that onlya
'igid adherence TO thu letter Of the fathers
would ave tia nation from decline. It was
obvious TO the first named journal that the
letter" meant government patronage tn the
Other journal; Il was potent TO that journal
that the 'shekels" Of Senator x really ami
mated the spirit Of tho fathers. Yet all
,greed that 4 was q great and good and per-
feet governnsnt-subjcct only to the p,pda-
tory incursious Of u h~ydra-headed monster
known a. . sring." The rings origin was
wrapped In secrscy;is fecundity was alarm
ing; but although It's rapacity was prcter-
natural. III digestion was perfect and easy.
1t circumvolved all affairs In On atmosphere
u mystery; it cloudei all things with the
lust and ashes Of distiust. All ~disappoint-
ment OF plasx. Of ~avarice, Of i%ncompcteucy or
ambition. was clearly attributable to it. 1t
oven pdrmeatsd private and social life: there
were rings in our kitchen and housel,old SER
vice; In our public schools, thnt kept tho
active intelligeuces Of our children passive;
there were rings Of engaging, handsome. dis
solute young fellows, who kept US moral
but ~unengaging seniors. from tue favors
Of the fair; there were subtle, conspirisg
rings among our creditors which sent w into
bankruptcy and restricted our credit. In
fact it would not lie hazardous to say that all
that was calamito,is in public and private ex-
p%elience was clearly t,aceable tn that von.-
bination Of power in a minority over weai-
less in a ma j0r;ty-known us a ring. E
HAPPY there vas a lmdy of demigods. M
yet u%ninvoked, who should speedily settle all
TINT. When Smith, of Minnesota, Robinson,
of Vermont, and Jones, Of lieorgia. returned
tn congress from those rural set.lusions SO
potent with information and SO freed from
local ~prejudices, 1t was understood, vaguely,
that great things would he done. THIS was
always understood. There never was a time
in the history Of American politics when, to
Use the expression of the journals before al
luded to, "tlle present session Of congress" did
not "bitl fair to hc the most mo,ncntons IN
our history" and did not, MS far as facts 20,
leave a vast amount Of unfinished important
business lying hoI9lessly upon its desk, hav-
ing "holttAl" the rest us raslly and will, as
little regard to digestion or assimilation as
the American traveller has for his railway
Refreshments.
In this capital. on this languid midsummer
day, in an upper room Of one Of its second
rate hotels. '!,e lion. Pratt c. Gashwiler sat
at his w~:j.in;; table. There nrc certain large,
f1eshy ,:a;; will whom tho omission of eveu a
necktie o. collar his all the effect of an in
decent ~eS,asarc. The Hon. Mr.. Gashwiler,
in his t,ns SER: r.n,l shirt, was \ sight to Ike
avoided 3 '::!,c modest eye. There were such
palpab!. s.."i-s:s i,;s Of vast extents Of unc-
tnols fi,s:, IN the slight glimpse offered Ivy
his open t'r"ct t:at his dislla!ille should have
been as private rs his business. Nevertheless.
when t.ic,. was a knock at his door, he I'M.
hesitatin:.lY said, "Con,e I'M" pushing away q
goblet crowned with a certain aromatic herb
with his right hand, while he drew toward
him with his left a few proof slips Of his
forthcoming speech. The Gnshwiler brow
became, as it were, ~intelligently distracted.
The intruder regarded tsashwiter with Q
glance Of familiar recognition from his right
eye, while his left took in a rapid survey Of
the papers on the table, and CLEANED sardou.
ically.
"You are at work, I see" be said apoloeet-
ically.
EYES," replied the congressman, with an
air Of %perfunctory WEAKNESS. zone Of nv
speeches. Those id printers make such u
mess Of it. ! suppose I don't write a very
fine hand"
II the gifted Gashwiler had added that be
did not write a very intelligent band, or a
very grammatical hand, and that his SPELL
ing was faulty, he would have been truth
full, although the copy and proof before hin,
might not have borne him out. The near
fact was that the speech was composed and
written by one Expectant Dobbs, . poor rp-
tainer Of Gashwiler, and the honorable mem.
tcrAs laoor as q proof-reader was confined te.
the introduction Of such words as .a%narchy.~
"oligarchy," "satlap," palladium" and
"Arguscyed" in the proof, with little rel
evancy as to position OF place, and no per-
ceptitle effect as to argument.
The stranger saw all this, with his wicked
left eye, but continued Il beam mildly with
his right. Removing the coat and waistcoat
of .Gashwilcr from a chair, he drew 1t to-
ward the table, pushing aside a lortly, loud